A518: Fatalities

The Earl of Shrewsbury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many road traffic accidents have occurred on the A518 between Weston-upon-Trent and Uttoxeter in Staffordshire in the last 10 years to date; what number of those accidents have resulted in fatalities; and what is the number of those fatalities.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested is in the table. All injury and fatal accidents and the number of fatalities on the A518 between Weston-upon-Trent and Uttoxeter.
	
		
			 Year All accidents involving personal injury Fatal accidents Fatalities 
			 1995 26 0 0 
			 1996 27 1 1 
			 1997 25 0 0 
			 1998 29 2 2 
			 1999 9 1 1 
			 2000 17 0 0 
			 2001 21 2 2 
			 2002 15 0 0 
			 2003 23 1 1 
			 2004 24 1 1

A518: Fatalities

The Earl of Shrewsbury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will install safety cameras on the A518 between Weston-upon-Trent and Uttoxeter in Staffordshire as a matter of urgency.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The decision whether to install safety cameras on the A518 is a local one to be taken if appropriate by the local highway authority after consultation with other interested parties.
	The Government are not involved in this assessment process and cannot influence the outcome of any such consideration. Should any proposed sites be identified, they will need to meet the site selection criteria to be considered for funding under the safety camera programme.

A-levels

Lord Desai: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all further education colleges, excluding sixth-form colleges, in England broken down by age and by gender (a) including general studies, and (b) excluding general studies in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all educational establishments in England aged 17 broken down by gender (a) including general studies, and (b) excluding general studies in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all further education colleges, excluding sixth-form colleges, in England aged 17 broken down by gender (a) including general studies, and (b) excluding general studies in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all schools in England aged 17 broken down by gender (a) including general studies, and (b) excluding general studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all independent schools in England aged 17 broken down by gender (a) including general studies, and (b) excluding general studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all educational establishments in England broken down by age and by gender in (a) biological sciences; (b) chemistry; (c) physics; (d) other sciences; (e) mathematics; and (f) computer studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Science Qualifications in science and information technology subjects; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all further education colleges, excluding sixth-form colleges, in England broken down by age and by gender in (a) biological sciences; (b) chemistry; (c) physics; (d) other sciences; (e) mathematics; and (f) computer studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications in science and information technology subjects; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all educational establishments in England aged 17 broken down by gender in (a) biological sciences; (b) chemistry; (c) physics; (d) other sciences; (e) mathematics; and (f) computer studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications in science and information technology subjects; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all further education colleges, excluding sixth-form colleges, in England aged 17 broken down by gender in (a) biological sciences; (b) chemistry; (c) physics; (d) other sciences; (e) mathematics; and (f) computer studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications in science and information technology subjects; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all schools in England aged 17 broken down by gender in (a) biological sciences; (b) chemistry; (c) physics; (d) other sciences; (e) mathematics; and (f) computer studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications in science and information technology subjects; and
	What were the total GCE A-level entries and passes by candidates in all independent schools in England aged 17 broken down by gender in (a) biological sciences; (b) chemistry; (c) physics; (d) other sciences; (e) mathematics; and (f) computer studies, in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2003; and what were the similar figures for AS-levels, Vocational Certificate of Education A-levels and Advanced General National Vocational Qualifications in science and information technology subjects.

Lord Adonis: The information requested (where available) has been placed in the House Libraries.

A-levels

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to address the 25 per cent fall over the past 10 years in A-level students studying mathematics.

Lord Adonis: The Government set out proposals to address the falling numbers of students studying A-level mathematics in their response to Professor Adrian Smith's inquiry into post-14 mathematics education.
	Revised A-level mathematics specifications were introduced in September 2004 to deal with concerns that the content of the AS specification was too great to be mastered in the first year of study. The content is now spread over four AS units rather than three. There is no change to the A-level standard and the revisions were widely welcomed by the maths community. These changes should encourage more young people to study A-level mathematics.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority are undertaking research to analyse the patterns of young people studying A-levels but not taking A-level mathematics. This will help to inform the development of longer-term provision.

A-levels

Lord Desai: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What their estimates are of the number of people in England aged 17 broken down by gender in (i) 1970; (ii) 1975; (iii) 1980; (iv) 1985; (v) 1988; (vi) 1990; (vii) 1992 and (viii) 1997 to 2005, who have taken GCE level examinations.

Lord Adonis: The number of 17 year-olds taking GCE examinations can be found below.
	
		Students taking GCE A-Levels
		
			  Boys Girls Total 
			 1970 100,818 71,819 172,637 
			 1975 105,750 87,933 193,683 
			 1980 109,002 98,763 207,765 
			 1985 112,072 109,420 221,492 
			 1988 – – – 
			 1990 103,421 111,614 215,035 
			 1992 – – – 
			 1997 89,402 103,090 192,492 
			 1998 91,679 106,659 198,338 
			 1999 90,809 105,997 196,806 
			 2000 89,242 104,738 193,980 
			 2001 91,927 107,500 199,427 
			 2002 91,637 107,548 199,185 
			 2003 94,247 111,695 205,942 
			 2004 95,490 113,312 208,802 
		
	
	
		Students taking GCE A and AS-Levels
		
			  Boys Girls Total 
			 1970 – – – 
			 1975 – – – 
			 1980 – – – 
			 1985 – – – 
			 1988 – – – 
			 1990 111,084 118,333 229,417 
			 1992 81,719 91,315 173,034 
			 1997 91,016 104,641 195,657 
			 1998 93,450 108,516 201,966 
			 1999 92,695 108,097 200,792 
			 2000 91,411 106,904 198,315 
			 2001 103,009 117,907 220,916 
			 2002 105,170 120,941 226,111 
			 2003 108,639 125,660 234,299 
			 2004 109,443 126,542 235,985 
		
	
	Figures for 1970 to 1985 and 1990 apply to all students.
	Figures for 1988 are unavailable.
	Combined A and AS-level figures were only available for 1992.
	Figures for 1997 onwards apply to 17 year-old students.

Carrickfergus: Sewerage and Roads Infrastructure

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action is being taken to ensure that the sewerage and roads infrastructure in the maritime area of Carrickfergus is brought up to departmental standards for adoption; and
	What is the value of development bonds retained by the Department of Regional Development with regard to the maritime area in Carrickfergus.

Lord Rooker: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the noble Lord in response to these Questions.
	Letter from Dr Malcolm McKibbin to Lord Laird dated 14 July 2005.
	You recently asked Her Majesty's Government two parliamentary Questions in relation to what action is being taken to ensure that the sewerage and roads infrastructure in the maritime area of Carrickfergus is brought up to departmental standards for adoption, and what is the value of development bonds retained by the Department for Regional Development with regard to the maritime area in Carrickfergus. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as chief executive of Roads Service.
	I should explain that the responsibility for bringing development roads to adoption standard rests with developers. When development roads and sewers are properly constructed to the department's standards, Roads Service will complete the adoption promptly.
	There are approximately 1,500 metres of development roads within the maritime area of which around 300 metres of the road known as Rodgers Quay was adopted in November 2000. The remaining roads have been constructed, but adoption has been delayed because of problems with the adoptable sewers within the Morrison Homes developments.
	Colleagues in Water Service have advised that the adoption for the sewage, pumping station adjacent to the Windrose public house will be issued as soon as the developer has submitted essential associated documentation.
	In those areas where adoption is not yet completed, I understand that Water Service is liaising closely with developers to ensure that the sewers and pumping stations are brought up to adoption standards as quickly as possible. However, the one exception to this is the storm sewers serving Rodgers Quay, which are to remain private. The sewage pumping station at Swifts Quay, which was constructed in the early 1990s by Carrickfergus Borough Council, is not currently adopted. Water Service is presently in discussion with the Department of Social Development, which is now responsible for the station, about its possible upgrading to adoption standard. I can further advise that no application has been received for the adoption of the sewers serving the commercial development fronting onto the Marine Highway and the infrastructure will, therefore, remain the responsibility of the property owners.
	I have been assured that Water Service will advise us when the outstanding preliminary certificates of adoption have been issued so that we can proceed with roads adoption procedures.
	You also asked the value of development bonds retained by the department regarding the maritime area in Carrickfergus. I am advised that the original total value of bonds for adoptable roads and sewers in the maritime area was £478,938. Bond reductions to the value of £155,900 have been released in respect of an area adopted in November 2000 and the preliminary certificate issued to Lynwood Homes. Bonds to the value of £323,038 are, therefore, presently retained for the adoptable roads and sewers within the maritime area.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Child Contact Centres

The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What funding they have provided for supporting child contact over the past five years; and what spending they plan for this area over the next five years; and
	What funding they have provided for supervised child contact over the past five years; and what spending they plan for this area over the next five years; and
	What proportion of their funding for supervised child contact goes towards training; and what proportion to expenditure on buildings; and
	What proportion of their funding for supported child contact goes towards training; and what proportion to expenditure on buildings; and
	What is their strategy for delivering safe and rewarding supported and supervised child contact.

Lord Adonis: Between April 2000 and March 2006, the Government have made £5.35 million available to support child contact centres, both supported and supervised, and to their representative organisations. This sum includes £2.9 million allocated under the 2002 spending review to: develop 14 new supervised centres; support one already existing supervised centre; and to provide sustainability funding to 36 existing supported and supervised centres that are members of NACCC.
	From within the £2.9 million sum, approximately £287,000 has been allocated to the premises costs for the 14 new and one existing supervised centres. In addition, from within this sum approximately £130,000 has been allocated to the premises costs of the 36 NACCC centres who received funding through the sustainability fund. It is not possible to disaggregate the figure of £130,000 to show the exact amount allocated between supervised and supported centres, in part because a number of centres offer both types of service.
	The sum of £5.35 million also includes £0.5 million that has been made available for training and consultancy services to the 14 new supervised centres and the one already existing centre developed under the 2002 spending review. This sum of £0.5 million enables the provision of training to all centres that are members of NACCC and which are seeking to become accredited under the accreditation programme run by NACCC. It is not possible to disaggregate this figure to show the exact amount allocated between supervised and supported centres, in part because a number of centres offer both types of service.
	The remainder of the £5.35 million sum totals £1.95 million. £100,000 of this has been allocated to NACCC for administering the 2002 spending review funds to individual centres. The remaining £1.85 million has provided individual grants totalling £800,000 to supervised and supported centres; enabled NACCC, Welcare, NCH and Coram to develop models of child contact (£900,000); and evaluate, through an ISB project, child contact centre partnership working in three areas (£150,000).
	Exact expenditure figures on buildings and premises and across the whole of the 2002 spending review period will not be known until after the allocation period has ended, in March 2006.
	More recently, under the 2004 spending review, £3 million is to be made available in 2006–07 and £4.5 million in 2007–08 for services in support of child contact, including child contact centres. In the White Paper, Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities, Next Steps, published in January 2005, the Government announced plans to look at ways in which contact centres can be used more widely to help parents and children following separation. Contact centres should not be seen solely as places where actual content takes place, but also as a base for outreach services, which can support parents and children beyond any formal period of court-mandated contact. Furthermore, the Government are exploring options to ensure that services to support child contact are easily accessible to parents and children. Contact centres will be one of those options, while others include extended schools and children's centres, which may also be able to provide services such as advice for parents, family mediation and parenting education support.

China and Tibet

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they intend to take during the course of their presidency of the European Union to encourage the People's Republic of China to drop pre-conditions to substantive negotiations on Tibet's future status.

Lord Triesman: We and our EU partners have welcomed contacts between the Dalai Lama's representatives and the Chinese Government.
	We have made clear to both sides that, in our view, a peaceful, sustainable and legitimate solution to the Tibet issue can be found only through dialogue. We have also made clear that setting pre-conditions for negotiations to take place is not helpful. We will continue to urge the Chinese Government to engage in meaningful exchanges with the Dalai Lama and his representatives. My honourable friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Ian Pearson) raised this issue during his trip to China earlier this month.

City Academies

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many city academies have been built; what is the cost of each; and how many are currently in the course of construction; and
	What is the ratio of private sponsors' investment in city academies compared to the actual cost of each academy.

Lord Adonis: There are currently 17 academies open. They are in high-cost, inner-city sites, have a roll average of 1,305 and have cost on average £26 million each to build. A 1,500 place secondary school in a moderate area costs around £20 million, in a high-cost area £32 million. The best comparison to an academy is a 1,300 place secondary school in a high-cost area which would cost around £28 million.
	Capital cost figures for new schools can vary considerably, depending on factors such as location, the prevailing site, market conditions and whether it is new build or refurbishment. In particular, the inner-city nature of most academy sites often adds significantly to their costs.
	A further 10 academies are opening in September this year; there are an additional 37 academy projects in implementation; and many more in early planning.
	Private sponsors provide a contribution of up to 10 per cent. of the capital cost of a new academy, up to a ceiling of £2 million. For the 17 academies currently open, the ratio of the sponsors' contribution to the overall cost of the project is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Academy Year Opened Capital Cash Limit (£) DfES Contribution (£) Sponsor Contribution (£) Sponsor Contribution as Percentage of Cash Limit 
			 Bexley1 2002 38,452,898 36,042,898 2,410,000 6.27 
			 Greig 2002 16,479,000 14,479,000 2,000,000 12.14 
			 Unity 2002 20,590,000 18,590,000 2,000,000 9.71 
			 Capital City 2003 26,994,000 24,994,000 2,000,000 7.41 
			 The City Academy 2003 27,666,644 25,067,644 2,599,000 9.39 
			 West London1 2003 31,163,389 29,163,389 2,000,000 6.42 
			 Manchester 2003 19,786,149 17,786,149 2,000,000 10.11 
			 Kings 2003 22,301,106 20,301,106 2,000,000 8.97 
			 Djanogly 2003 21,526,359 21,526,359 0 0.00 
			 City of London 2003 33,685,332 31,685,332 2,000,000 5.94 
			 Peckham 2003 28,219,539 26,219,539 2,000,000 7.09 
			 Walsall 2003 18,226,463 15,721,463 2,505,000 13.74 
			 Mossbourne 2004 27,973,726 25,823,726 2,150,000 7.69 
			 Stockley 2004 25,809,685 23,809,685 2,000,000 7.75 
			 Lambeth 2004 25,445,886 23,445,886 2,000,000 7.86 
			 Northampton 2004 27,358,929 25,358,929 2,000,000 7.31 
			 London2 2004 31,398,939 26,798,939 1,500,000 4.78 
		
	
	1 All-age academies.
	2 The cash limit for London Academy includes a £3.1 million investment from the local authority.

Crossrail

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 25 May (WA 9), whether before promoting a Transport and Works Act 1992 order or a hybrid Bill for a new railway scheme they require there to be a reasonable prospect of funding being available for such a scheme;

Lord Davies of Oldham: Guidance issued in respect of the Transport & Works Act 1992 (TWA) is that funding does not need to have been obtained in order for a TWA order to be made, but that the Secretary of State would want to satisfy himself that there is "a reasonable prospect of a scheme attracting the funds required to implement it . . . ". The TWA process is for non-government promoted projects, whereas the hybrid Bill process is for government-promoted projects. It carries with it responsibilities for the project, securing funding and the use of scarce parliamentary time.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Arms Embargo

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the recent report by Amnesty International, Democratic Republic of Congo: Arming the East, what action they are taking about airlines, arms dealers and brokers operating from or resident in the United Kingdom; and whether they will initiate moves in the United Nations Security Council to renew and strengthen the embargo on arms exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lord Triesman: We take seriously any allegations of UK entities' involvement in the illicit supply of arms to embargoed destinations and refer any evidence promptly to the relevant UK investigating authorities. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs investigated these claims in 2003 and found no evidence of offences by UK entities.
	All UK entities involved in the sale or brokering of military-listed and dual use goods continue to be subject to UK strategic export controls.
	The UK was instrumental in securing UN Security Council Resolution 1596, which extended the arms embargo to cover the whole of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and provided for targeted measures against embargo violators. We are currently working with the Security Council to designate violators of the UN embargo on the DRC to be subject to a travel ban and assets freeze, and to renew all Security Council measures on the DRC before their expiry on 31 July 2005.

European Constitutional Treaty

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will identify any European Union initiatives which rely on the proposed constitution for Europe as their legal basis; and what is the present status of these initiatives.

Lord Triesman: No formal or informal legislative proposals or other initiatives have been proposed by the European Union which rely on the constitutional treaty as their legal basis.

Fraud Trials

Lord Christopher: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide data for each of the past five years showing (a) the total number of fraud trials; (b) the number of fraud trials lasting more than one year; (c) the number and outcome of (i) simple and straightforward cases; (ii) more complex cases, but not constituting serious fraud; (iii) serious fraud cases; and (d) the number of guilty pleas in each category under (c) above.

Lord Goldsmith: The tables below show, for the five years to 2003 (which is the latest year for which data are available from the Home Office court proceedings database) the number of defendants tried for fraud offences in the Crown Court in England and Wales, and the number found guilty; and in addition the number who pleaded guilty (and plea was accepted by prosecution).
	
		
			 Year Defendants tried Number found guilty Defendants who pleaded guilty 
			 1999 3,713 2,834 2,332 
			 2000 3,871 2,873 2,359 
			 2001 3,323 2,500 2,051 
			 2002 2,927 2,310 1,922 
			 2003 2,978 2,258 1,879 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of cases that lasted more than one year (figures obtained from HM Courts Service).
	
		
			 Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 Trials over 12 months 0 0 4 1 1 
		
	
	The Home Office database does not categorise fraud cases by level of seriousness. Nor does the Crown Prosecution Service hold such data. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Inland Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO), however, hold data on defendants tried for, convicted of and pleading guilty to serious fraud. The following tables show data for the past five years (in the case of RCPO, the past five financial years).
	
		SFO data
		
			 Year Defendants tried Number found guilty Defendants who pleaded guilty 
			 2000 41 35 22 
			 2001 30 28 14 
			 2002 22 15 9 
			 2003 35 19 9 
			 2004 67 37 22 
		
	
	
		RCPO data
		
			 Financial year Defendants tried Number found guilty Defendants who pleaded guilty 
			 2000–01 145 116 47 
			 2001–02 133 111 65 
			 2002–03 72 56 31 
			 2003–04 45 37 13 
			 2004–05 73 54 63

Fuel Emissions

Lord Dixon-Smith: asked Her Majesty's Government, what is the present energy demand of United Kingdom industry for (a) coal; (b) gas; (c) oil; and (d) electricity, expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in the last year; and [HL1221]
	What is the present energy demand of United Kingdom rail transportation for (a) coal; (b) gas; (c) oil; and (d) electricity, expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in the last year; and
	What, is the present energy demand of United Kingdom motorised vehicles for (a) coal; (b) gas; (c) oil; and (d) electricity, expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in the last year; and
	What, is the present energy demand of United Kingdom domestic use for (a) coal; (b) gas; (c) oil; and (d) electricity, expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in the last year; and
	What, is the present energy demand of the United Kingdom power industry for (a) coal; (b) gas; (c) oil; and (d) electricity, expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in the last year; and
	What, is the present energy demand of the United Kingdom aviation industry for (a) coal; (b) gas; (c) oil; and (d) electricity, expressed in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide produced in the last year.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Provisional estimates of carbon dioxide emissions for 2004 were published by DTI and Defra on 31 March 2005. An estimated total of 158.4 million tonnes of carbon were emitted from the United Kingdom during 2004; this equates to 580.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
	Estimates of emissions by fuel and sector are shown in the table below. Emissions from power stations are shown separately and, to avoid double counting, electricity is not shown as a separate fuel. Under guidelines agreed internationally, emissions from international aviation and navigation are not included in the UK total emissions.
	
		Table: Estimated carbon dioxide emissions in 2004 -- by fuel and sector
		
			  Million tonnes of carbon dioxide 
			  Coal Gas Oil Other sources Total 
			 Power stations 113.3 56.4 2.6 – 172.3 
			 Domestic 4.7 73.8 8.9 – 87.4 
			 Industry 29.9 58.4 46.1 8.8 143.3 
			 Motorised road vehicles – – 122.3 – 122.3 
			 Rail transport – – 1.0 – 1.0 
			 Aviation – – 2.2 – 2.2 
			 National navigation – – 3.4 – 3.4 
			 Commercial and publicservices 0.3 21.1 2.6 – 24.0 
			 Land-use change andagriculture – 0.3 0.9 14.7 16.0 
			 Other sectors 0.7 – 2.8 5.6 9.0 
			 Total 148.8 210.0 192.9 29.1 580.8

Health and Safety Executive: Corporate Health Specialist Division

The Countess of Mar: asked her Majesty's Government:
	What is the remit of the Health and Safety Executive's Field Operations Directorate-Central Special Division 2.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Central Specialist Division was incorporated into the newly formed Corporate Health Specialist Division (CHSD) in November 2004. CHSD brings together a wide range of HSE's health specialists into a single command to provide advice on a broad range of occupational health related issues.
	The division includes specialist groups dealing with the assessment and control of occupational risks from radiation, noise and vibration, ergonomic hazards, chemical and other occupational agents, and includes the Corporate Medical Unit, part of which is the Employment Medical Advisory Service.
	The division is a part of the Field Operations Directorate but its advice is available across HSE and sometimes wider, in support of the Health and Safety Commission's Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond. The aim of bringing together the health specialists is to improve their flexibility and effectiveness to better address the priorities of the rapidly changing working environment which requires the combined action of several disciplines.

Housing: First-time Buyers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to increase the proportion of first-time buyers under the age of 25.

Baroness Andrews: The Government's proposals for a range of new HomeBuy schemes were set out in the consultation document HomeBuy—Expanding the Opportunity to Own. Copies of the document are available from the Library of the House. The consultation period closed on June 24 and we are currently considering the responses.
	Through these new schemes the Government are seeking to extend the opportunity for sustainable home ownership to as many people as possible. Eligible groups will include social tenants and those on housing waiting lists, key public sector workers and those identified as priorities by regional housing boards.
	However the Government have no plans at present to target the schemes at particular groups on the basis of age. Neither do we have an objective to increase the proportion of first-time buyers who are in a particular age group.

InterTradeIreland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 6 July (HL667), what steps are being taken to address the religious balance in staff employment in InterTradeIreland.

Lord Rooker: The percentage figures for Catholics and Protestants currently employed in InterTradeIreland given in my Answer of 6 July are broadly in line with the religious distribution, shown in the most recent census data, in the Newry and Mourne area. There is however a slight under-representation in employees from the Protestant community, which is reflective of the fact that applications for posts in the body from that community have to date been low. InterTradeIreland has in place an equality scheme developed in consultation with, and approved by the Equality Commission. The organisation is currently working closely with the Equality Commission in looking at ways of addressing this situation.

Irish Heritage Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any plans to relocate the headquarters of the Irish Heritage Agency; if so, to which location; and what is the reason for such relocation.

Lord Rooker: The Irish Government announced on 3 December 2003 its proposal to relocate 30 staff of Foras na Gaeilge from its present headquarters in Dublin to Gweedore in County Donegal as part of a broader policy of decentralisation of public sector jobs. Any such relocation would be subject to and require the approval of the North/South Ministerial Council.

Lord Birt

Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the results of each annual review of the Lord Birt's work as the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, as detailed in the letter of 5 October 2001 published by the Cabinet Office between the Prime Minister's principal private secretary and the Lord Birt; for each occasion, what date the review occurred; and which individuals undertook the review.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Prime Minister has regular discussions with the Lord Birt about his work, including the annual reviews referred to in the letter of appointment.

Lord Birt

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Deputy Prime Minister has plans to meet the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, the Lord Birt.

Baroness Andrews: My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister has meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. All meetings are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Lord Birt

Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the level of secretarial support accorded to the Lord Birt in his role as the Prime Minister's strategy adviser has changed since his appointment in 2001; and, if so, in what way.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Lord Birt is provided with the, support of a secretary in No. 10 on a part-time basis.

Lord Birt

Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What expenses have been claimed to date by the Lord Birt since his appointment as the Prime Minister's strategy adviser.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Lord Birt is entitled to claim reasonable expenses incurred during his work. He claimed £168 for travel expenses in 2003, and £61.80 for travel expenses in 2004. No other expenses have been claimed.

Lord Birt

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 July (WA125), whether they will publish a list of those organisations that the Lord Birt has met in his role as the Prime Minister's strategy adviser.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: No.

Lorry Road User Charge

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they have decided not to proceed with the implementation of lorry road user charging.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Secretary of State for Transport announced in a Statement on 5 July that the development of lorry charging will be taken forward within the context of wider work to develop a national system of road pricing for lorries and cars. This reflects the way our thinking on national road pricing has developed since we announced our intention to introduce the lorry road user charge.
	We will ensure that the lessons learned from the work undertaken on developing the lorry road user charge are reflected in our work on national road pricing. We will also continue to work with the road haulage industry to ensure that its needs are represented as we develop a national road pricing system.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether McKinsey & Company is currently carrying out any work for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; how many projects the firm has carried out for the department during each of the past five years; for each project, how long it lasted and how many McKinsey employees were involved; and what was the total value of payments made by the department to McKinsey & Company in each of the past five years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: DCMS has contracted with McKinseys for one major contract in January 2001. The contract for an option appraisal and subsequent work, subject to review, in respect of the formation of Culture Online, McKinsey bid costs were for each phase of the work rather than for personnel involved and there is no record of how many of their employees worked on the contract. The cost of the contract overall was £1.34 million, the final payment taking place on the 20 September 2001.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the United Kingdom-based operation of McKinsey and Company Incorporated is currently carrying out work for any executive non-department public body or advisory non-department public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and, if so (a) how many projects the firm has carried out for each of those bodies in the past five years; (b) for each project, how long such work lasted and how many McKinsey employees were involved; (c) what was the nature of the contracts with each of the bodies; and d) what was the total value of payments made by each such body to the company in each of the past five years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: DCMS, its NDPB's and all sponsored bodies have contracted with McKinsey and Co. on the following projects over the past five years;
	
		
			 Organisation (a) How many projects? (b) How long? How many employees? (c) Contract nature (d) Total value of payments 
			 DCMS 1 (January 2001) 8 months—no details on staff numbers Option appraisal and subsequent work, subject to review, in respect of the formation of Culture Online £1,340,000 
			 Sport England 1 (June 2004) 3 months—4 staff  £150,000 
			  1 (October 2004) 2 months—3 staff Both were research based consultancy projects £99,500 
			 £249,500 
			 Tate Gallery 1 (September 2000) No details available No details available £25,000 
		
	
	All other NDPBs and sponsored bodies provided a nil return.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the United Kingdom-based operation of McKinsey and Company Incorporated is currently carrying out work for any executive non-department public body or advisory non-department public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions; and, if so (a) how many projects the firm has carried out for each of those bodies in the past five years; (b) for each project, how long such work lasted and how many McKinsey employees were involved; (c) what was the nature of the contracts with each of the bodies; and (d) what was the total value of payments made by each such body to the company in each of the past five years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: McKinsey and Company Incorporated is not currently carrying out any work for any executive non-departmental public body or advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions and has not carried out any projects in the past five years.

McKinsey and Co.

Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the course of their consideration of the BBC Charter renewal, they have sought the views of the United Kingdom-based operation of McKinsey and Company Incorporated.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Except to the extent that it has conducted two major public consultations, to which any individual or organisation was welcome to submit views, the Government have not sought the views of the United Kingdom-based operation of McKinsey and Company Incorporated in the course of their consideration of BBC Charter review. The company has not submitted views either in response to public consultation, nor at any other time since the launch of the charter review.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much money was spent by the Cabinet Office on services and products acquired from McKinsey and Company Incorporated in each year since year since 1997; and whether they will provide a breakdown of such expenditure.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Cabinet Office spent £50,000 (excluding VAT) on services and products supplied by McKinsey and Company Incorporated since 1997.
	All this expenditure was attributable to one contract which was awarded during 2003–04 for consultancy services in connection with a review that was undertaken by the shareholder executive.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, since October 2001, the Prime Minister has met Mr Ian Davis, global managing director of McKinsey and Company Incorporated, or Mr Dominic Casserley, United Kingdom managing director of McKinsey and Company Incorporated.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is no record of my right honourable friend the Prime Minister having any meetings with Mr Ian Davis or Mr Dominic Casserley.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Mr Ian Davis, Global Managing Director of McKinsey and Company Incorporated, has visited No. 10 Downing Street.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on Monday 6 June 2005, Official Report, Col. WA100.

National Grid

Lord Dixon-Smith: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the annual cost of powering the national grid so that electricity can be supplied from generators to consumers; and
	How much electricity is consumed, expressed in megawatt hours, by the national grid in order to supply electricity from generators to consumers.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: This is a commercial matter for the company concerned.

National Heritage Lottery Fund

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the level of funds allocated by the National Heritage Lottery Fund to historic churches is determined; and whether they will increase the allocation above its current level of 5 per cent.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Between 1994 and July 2004 (the last period for which figures are available) the Heritage Lottery Fund made 2,603 awards to historic churches, chapels and other Christian places of worship amounting to £295.4 million. This represents some 10 per cent of the total grants given over that period. There is no cap on the level of funding for places of worship. Funds are allocated on the basis of the criteria governing each grant stream, and the availability of funding.

NHS: Employees from Developing Countries

Baroness Northover: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many doctors, nurses and other staff are currently employed in the National Health Service from developing countries which are on the list maintained by the National Health Service of those countries from which the United Kingdom should not recruit because of their need to retain staff; and what proportion of these were actively recruited; and
	Whether they will strengthen the guidelines for doctors, nurses and other staff from developing countries who are currently employed in the National Health Service; and
	How many doctors, nurses and other staff from developing countries working in the National Health Service are recruited from agencies which do not adhere to guidelines relating to such employment.

Lord Warner: Of all doctors in the National Health Service in England in 2004, 4.9 per cent. qualified in Africa. Some of these will have been working in the NHS for a number of years and most will have come to the United Kingdom to undertake training. The other data requested is not available centrally.
	NHS international recruitment activity is governed by the Code of Practice for International Recruitment. The code of practice was updated and strengthened in December 2004. Changes included extension to temporary/locum workers and to the independent health sector. All international healthcare professionals are protected by relevant UK employment law in the same way as all other employees.

North Sea Oil

Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What policy changes they propose, in the light of the rising price of crude oil, in order to sustain production of oil from the North Sea.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: In the past three years the Government have introduced a number of policy initiatives to stimulate North Sea investment and activity including enhancements to the licensing regime, freeing up fallow acreage, improvements to the commercial climate and third party access to infrastructure, and last month launched the "stewardship" initiative to ensure economic recovery of oil and gas from existing brown fields is maximised. The recent increase in the price of crude oil does not change our approach which has been designed to bring new investment over a range of prices. We will continue to work to ensure that the full value of these initiatives is delivered.

North/South Implementation Bodies

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a pension arrangement has been put in place for employees of cross-border implementation bodies.

Lord Rooker: A new pension scheme for five of the six North/South implementation bodies has been implemented with effect from 28 April 2005. The staff of the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission have an existing pension scheme, which is currently under review.

North/South Language Body

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to give parity of funding to Ulster Scots language and heritage, similar to that received by Irish language and heritage, as promised in the 1998 Belfast agreement.

Lord Rooker: The Government are committed to affording due respect and recognition to Ulster-Scots and the Irish language and to supporting the development of their respective cultural traditions. It has done this through its sponsorship of the North/South Language Body, established in line with the Belfast agreement. As the noble Lord is aware, the funding for each element of the language body is provided on the basis of their corporate and business plans as agreed with both Governments.

Northern Ireland Civil Service

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many appointments have been made to the Northern Ireland Civil Service without open competition since 2000; and why these appointments were made.

Lord Rooker: The following table shows the number of appointments made to the Northern Ireland Civil Service without open competition since 2000.
	
		
			 Year Number 
			 2000 16 
			 2001 26 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 *235 
			 2004 9 
			 Total 293 
		
	
	* Includes 218 appointments to the Youth Justice Agency.
	Appointments to the Northern Ireland Civil Service are made in accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners (NI) Order 1999, which requires appointments to be made in accordance with the merit principle. Exceptions to the merit principle are made under Regulation 2 of the Commissioners' General Regulations. The above appointments were made under the following exceptions:
	transfers of persons into the NICS where the person holds a situation in another civil service of the Crown;
	where the person is, or has been employed on functions which have been or are being transferred to the Crown; and
	where the appointment is justified for exceptional reasons relating to the needs of the Civil Service, and the proposed person is of proven distinction.

Northern Ireland Civil Service

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many promotions have been made in the Northern Ireland Civil Service without open competition since 2000; and why these promotions were made.

Lord Rooker: There have been no substantive promotions made in the Northern Ireland Civil Service since 2000 without open competition.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the Baroness Fritchie, has investigated recent appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, including the intervention of Ministers; and, if so, what are the results of her investigation.

Lord Rooker: The Commissioner for Public Appointments, Baroness Fritchie investigated one complaint by an applicant who was unsuccessful in the recent competition to appoint Commissioners to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The Northern Ireland Office complied fully with her request for information. Baroness Fritchie did not uphold the applicant's complaint and I understand she has written to the complainant with her findings.
	In the course of her investigation, Baroness Fritchie asked for an explanation of the decision to extend the list of applicants to be interviewed Officials took the decision to extend the list, with the agreement of the independent assessor, because Ministers were concerned that the list should provide sufficient opportunity to make appointments that were representative of the community in Northern Ireland. My officials will be writing to Baroness Fritchie on this matter in due course.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the Baroness Fritchie, received any complaints about recent appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; whether she made any adverse findings about the conduct of the Northern Ireland Office; and what action do they intend to take in response to these findings.

Lord Rooker: Baroness Fritchie investigated one complaint about recent appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. She did not uphold the complaint.
	She asked for further explanation of some separate issues. My officials will be responding to her on these issues in due course.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What legal and other costs the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has had to pay, or is expected to pay, for supporting a case against the Police Service of Northern Ireland over protests at Holy Cross School.

Lord Rooker: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. I have asked the chief executive to write to the noble Lord.
	A copy of her letter will be placed in the Library.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people were interviewed for the position of Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and on what dates the interviews were held.

Lord Rooker: There were two separate appointment processes as the interview panel in the first process did not recommend that an appointment be made.
	First process: four candidates interviewed, two on 19 October 2004 and two on 3 November 2004.
	Second process: four people interviewed on 28 February 2005.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Northern Ireland Office press release of 16 June which referred to the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, whether the use of first names on their own is now Government policy.

Lord Rooker: There is no Government-wide policy on the use of first names.

Northern Ireland Office: Questions for Written Answer

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have proposals with regard to the content and processing of Questions for Written Answer by the Northern Ireland Office.

Lord Rooker: My Ministerial colleagues and I take seriously our obligations to Parliament and will continue to strive to answer all Questions as quickly, fully and as accurately as possible. If the noble Lord has a particular issue in mind perhaps he will write to me.

Northern Ireland: 11-plus Transfer Test

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they adopted the American Educational Research Association's or the American Psychological Association's standards for educational and psychological testing for (a) the 11-plus transfer test, and (b) the proposed pupil profiling to be used when the current 11-plus is replaced in Northern Ireland; and
	What technical analysis has been carried out on (a) the 11-plus transfer test, and (b) the proposed pupil profiling in Northern Ireland; what results were obtained from such analysis; when the results were published; and how they were published; and
	What quantifiable validity or reliability indices have been used in Northern Ireland on (a) the 11-plus transfer test, and (b) the proposed pupil profiling; and
	What instruments with technical merits which meet international quality assurance standards have been employed on (a) the 11-plus transfer test, and (b) the proposed pupil profiling in Northern Ireland; what results have been obtained; how the results were published; and when they were published; and
	Whether the pupil profiling proposed as an alternative to the 11-plus transfer test in Northern Ireland satisfies the minimum recognised standards of reliability and validity necessary to ensure that children will not be misclassified; and
	Whether the proposed pupil profiling in Northern Ireland is intended to be a [odq]light touch[cdq] tool designed to inform teacher-parent dialogue; and when an announcement will be made about the ending of the current transfer tests; and
	Whether the proposed pupil profiling in Northern Ireland will be sufficient to guide parental decision-making on the choice of a post-primary school; and whether they will identify other tools to be used to provide assessment information; and
	How many of the 24 validity and 20 reliability standards used by the American Psychological Association to measure educational testing instruments have been met by (a) the 11-plus transfer test, and (b) the proposed pupil profiling in Northern Ireland; and
	When the Department of Education in Northern Ireland will publish a technical analysis and revised specification for the 11-plus transfer test, in the light of the report Testing the Test of April 2000.

Lord Rooker: Arrangements already exist to validate and quality assure the 11-plus transfer tests and the development of the pupil profile and therefore the Government have not adopted the standards of the American Educational Research Association or the American Psychological Association.
	The 11-plus transfer tests are conducted by the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) on behalf of the Department of Education. CCEA commission an external agency to develop the tests which undergo extensive and rigorous testing and analysis to ensure their validity in terms of the elements of the subjects specified for the tests, that they reflect the relevant programmes of study and that the standard is consistent from year to year. In addition a series of reliability measures are used to ensure internal consistency of the tests. The agency is recognised internationally for its expertise in test development and its staff adhere to a code of practice governing all aspects of test development. CCEA also employs a number of additional quality assurance procedures.
	The pupil profile currently being developed will provide a range of useful information on each child's progress, aptitudes, interests and aspirations. It will be based on well-supported teacher assessment rather than a regime of annual testing. CCEA has been developing and trialling the pupil profile over the last two years to ensure that it is robust, manageable and useful for parents, pupils and teachers. Details of the evaluation of the trials to date will shortly be published on the CCEA website. Development work will continue in 2005–06. CCEA will ensure that the pupil profile will meet standards of validity and reliability by bench-marking them against the Assessment Reform Group's principles for effective teacher assessment.
	The pupil profile is not an alternative to the 11-plus transfer tests: Its purpose is to provide a holistic picture of a pupil's progress, aptitudes, interests and aspirations that will help to inform choices throughout a pupil's education. It will also help parents to make informed choices about the post-primary school which best meets their child's educational needs, supported by other information available from the primary and post-primary schools. The pupil profile will not be used to determine a rank ordering of pupils for use by schools to determine which pupils to admit. Where schools are over-subscribed, admissions criteria will be used by schools to determine which pupils are admitted.
	Government announced on 26 January 2004 that the last transfer tests will be held in autumn 2008. Detail of the new arrangements will be announced after the responses to the recent consultation have been analysed.

Northern Ireland: 11-plus Transfer Test

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any proposals on the accountability of the design and administration of the 11-plus transfer test in Northern Ireland; and whether they will provide access to information that would permit technical analysis; and
	Whether they will review their policy on pupil authority and parental decision making in the light of the comments of Dr Morrison of Queen's University of Belfast reported in the Belfast Telegraph on 25 June.

Lord Rooker: Research undertaken and published in 2000 in a report Testing the Test identified concerns about the appropriateness and accuracy of the transfer tests for the purpose of predicting whether a child is suitable for a grammar school education. Government announced on 26 January 2004 that the last transfer tests will be held in autumn 2008.
	There are no plans to change the test specifications or the administration arrangements during this period nor are there any plans to make available information to enable a technical analysis of the tests.

Northern Ireland: Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 30 June (WA 43), whether they have proposals to permit the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice to examine the individual case work of the Office of the Police Ombudsman; and whether, without them, he can make an objective assessment of that office.

Lord Rooker: The Government have no plans to amend Section 47(6)(a) of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 to permit the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice to examine individual cases.
	The chief inspector may inspect, indeed has inspected, the Office of the Police Ombudsman in respect of the processes, culture, relationships and effectiveness of the office against the common core of standards set out by the chief inspector. These are:
	openness and accountability;
	partnership with other agencies in the criminal justice system;
	promotion of equality and human rights;
	being a learning organisation, responsive to customers and the community; and
	delivering results in relation to the Government's objectives.
	The recent inspection consisted of consultation with stakeholders and interested parties, exhaustive self-assessment, structured and semi-structured interviews, focus groups and physical inspection of operational processes. The Government are confident in the ability of the chief inspector to make an objective assessment of the Police Ombudsman's office on this basis.

Northern Ireland: Council for Catholic Maintained Schools

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the religious balance between Protestants and Roman Catholics of the membership on the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools in Northern Ireland.

Lord Rooker: There are currently eight members appointed by the Head of the Department of Education to serve as members on the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. Of this total there are two Protestants and six Roman Catholics. The department does not hold community background information on the remaining 28 members of the council as they are not appointed by the Minister.

Northern Ireland: Crown Solicitor's Office

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	To which bodies or individuals the Crown Solicitor's Office of Northern Ireland supplies legal advice; whether notional invoices are issued for such advice; and what was the value of such invoices for each year since 1998.

Lord Rooker: The Crown Solicitor's Office (CSO) provides a legal service to Ministers and departments of the UK Government, to agencies of UK departments, to some non-departmental public bodies and public officers (such as the Chief Constable of the Police Service for Northern Ireland) and also undertakes some debt recoveries for the local administration.
	The CSO operates on a cost recovery basis. It charges its clients for work done and issues invoices for payment to all clients save the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Office to whom notional invoices are issued.
	Comprehensive information relating solely to the value of advice work is not available as this advice is most often given during the overall conduct, of a case and the current system for invoicing does not facilitate the recording of this work separately.

Northern Ireland: Department of Education

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Department of Education for Northern Ireland has funded each of the five education boards to undertake a review of post-primary education in pursuit of government policy to the amount of £102,000, £104,000 and £107,000 over the years 2005–06 to 2007–08 while it has funded the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools to the amount of between £738,510 and £786,981 per annum for the same period; and
	Whether the Department of Education for Northern Ireland has ensured a co-ordinated approach to the proposed reviews of post-primary education being carried out by the five education boards which have responsibility for the controlled sector; and whether those reviews will be comparable in efficiency and resources to the reviews they are funding within the Catholic maintained sector.

Lord Rooker: The Department of Education is providing additional resources to the education and library boards and to the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to enable those organisations to support and facilitate schools to deliver the entitlement framework by beginning to develop collaborative arrangements with other schools and further education colleges.
	The figures quoted for this purpose in relation to CCMS are incorrect. The additional resources being made available to boards and CCMS are as follows:
	
		
			  2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 
			 Each Education and Library Board £102,000 £104,000 £107,000 
			 Total Boards £510,000 £520,000 £535,000 
			 CCMS £508,000 £521,000 £535,000 
		
	
	This will enable up to 10 additional staff to be appointed to the boards and up to 10 by CCMS, to support schools in their respective sectors. The allocations broadly reflect the comparable size of the sectors.
	Each organisation has been asked to take forward this work collaboratively with that of other managing authorities to ensure coherence of provision across all sectors.

Northern Ireland: Education and Library Boards

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the religious balance between Protestants and Roman Catholics of the membership of each of the five education and library boards in Northern Ireland.

Lord Rooker: The information currently available in respect of the religious balance between Protestants and Roman Catholics of the membership of each of the five education and library boards in Northern Ireland is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Protestant (%) Roman Catholic (%) Other (%) 
			 BELB
			 District Council Nominees 46 54 – 
			 Transferor/Trustee Reps 50 50 – 
			 General Interest Members 23 77 – 
			 Overall Balance 38 62 – 
			 NEELB
			 District Council Nominees 85 15 – 
			 Transferor/Trustee Reps 85 15 – 
			 General Interest Members 42 50 8 
			 Overall Balance 69 28 3 
			 SEELB
			 District Council Nominees 83 17 – 
			 Transferor/Trustee Reps 75 25 – 
			 General Interest Members 77 23 – 
			 Overall Balance 79 21 – 
			 SELB
			 District Council Nominees 57 43 – 
			 Transferor/Trustee Reps 43 57 – 
			 General Interest Members 46 54 – 
			 Overall Balance 50 50 – 
			 WELB
			 District Council Nominees 21 79 – 
			 Transferor/Trustee Reps 37 63 – 
			 General Interest Members 67 25 8 
			 Overall Balance 41 56 3

Northern Ireland: Hunting with Hounds

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to ban the hunting of foxes with hounds in Northern Ireland. [HL
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Lord Rooker: Any decision to ban hunting in Northern Ireland should be taken by a locally elected assembly and the main Northern Ireland political parties have indicated their support for this view.

Northern Ireland: Parades

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What training in the adjudication of Form 11/1 (notice of intention to organise a public procession) had been undertaken by those Northern Ireland police officers who adjudicated on forms in respect of Loyal Orange Lodge 710 and Loyal Orange Lodge 1974; and whether these officers had access to any legal opinion on the issue.

Lord Rooker: Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Officers do not adjudicate upon applications to parade made via Form 11/1. Indeed, PSNI Officers do not make any adjudications in relation to parades whatsoever. Therefore, the issue of whether or not they are in receipt of a legal opinion is irrelevant to the parades referred to in this Parliamentary Question.
	The function of the police in respect of form 11/ls is to receive them from parades organisers; they are then passed to the Parades Commission which considers them and issues a determination, if the form contains the necessary information to allow it to do so.
	If the Parades Commission decides there is insufficient information on a form for them to make a determination, then organising or participating in the parade which was notified to the commission via the defective form becomes illegal, and the police will investigate potential offences with a view to forwarding a file for consideration by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) where appropriate. Decisions on whether to prosecute each individual case are taken by the PPS.

Northern Ireland: Prisoners Released on Licence

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the conditions that apply to the activities and movements of former prisoners who were released under the terms of the Belfast agreement; whether these conditions have been modified since 1998; and what penalties may be applied against those deemed in breach of these conditions.

Lord Rooker: Section 9(1) of the Sentences Act (Northern Ireland) 1998 provides the conditions that apply to licences.
	These are as follows:
	(a) that he does not support a specified organisation (within the meaning of Section 3)
	(b) that he does not become concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism connected with the affairs of Northern Ireland, and
	(c) in the case of a life prisoner, that he does not become a danger to the public.
	These conditions have not been amended since 1998.
	Breaking the licence conditions is not itself an offence although often the facts that evidence the breach will be a separate offence which will be processed through the courts in the normal way.
	Whether or not a person has broken his licence conditions is a matter for the independent Sentence Review Commissioners. If they think he has broken his licence it is revoked and the prisoner must serve out the remainder of his original sentence before being released.

Nuclear Installations: Licensing

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What provision they are making for the pre-licensing of nuclear reactor designs in the United Kingdom in order effectively to keep the nuclear option open.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Licensing of nuclear installations is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). I understand that HSE currently has no requests to undertake any pre-licensing work of nuclear reactor designs.

Nuclear Installations: Licensing

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of the arrangements currently envisaged in the United States and in Canada for the pre-licensing of nuclear reactor designs; and what steps they are taking to study the details of those arrangements.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate maintains international links with other nuclear regulators and through these links is aware of these proposals in North America.

Nuclear Installations: Licensing

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to strengthen the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to give it the resources to undertake the pre-licensing of nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom; and whether applicants for pre-licensing approval can be expected to pay the full costs incurred by the inspectorate in processing such applications.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) currently has no requests to consider pre-licensing of nuclear reactors in the UK and therefore no steps have been taken to increase its resources to undertake such work. If the NII were to be requested to undertake such work then the resource requirements would need to be considered, as would the question of the payment of the costs incurred.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the estimated out-turn cost, including financing, of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In the candidature file submitted to the International Olympic Committee in November 2004, London 2012 estimated the cost of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be £1.5 billion (at 2004 prices).

Order of the British Empire

Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide a description of the term "British Empire" as used in the title of "Order of the British Empire".

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The letters patent of the Order of the British Empire were instituted in 1917 by HM King George V. These state that the order should be known "for ever thereafter by the name, style and designation of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". There is no further description of the order.
	In the Reform of the Honours System command paper (Cm 6479) the Government have stated that they will further consider the question of whether there should be any change to the title of the Order of the British Empire.

Palace of Westminster: Cleaners

Lord Hoyle: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	What talks have taken place with Mitie Cleaning about the pay and conditions of cleaning staff in the Houses of Parliament; what are the differences in pay and conditions between directly employed cleaners and those employed by contract cleaners; what are the numbers of directly employed cleaners and those employed by private companies; when the contract with Mitie Cleaning was placed; and what is its duration.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The pay and conditions of cleaning staff employed by Mitie Cleaning are a matter for that company and its employees. The House administration has therefore not been involved directly in talks with Mitie.
	I am unable to answer for the situation in the House of Commons, but the House of Lords employs 52 housekeepers who, depending on seniority and length of service, are currently paid salaries of between £7,644 and £10,066 for working a 17 1/2 hour week. Housekeepers are entitled to join the House of Lords Staff Pension Scheme and are entitled to 30 days paid holiday per year (in addition to statutory public holidays) and up to 12 months paid sick absence. I understand that cleaners employed by Mitie are paid £5 per hour and are entitled to 12 days holiday in addition to statutory public holidays. There is no entitlement to sick pay and no pension provision. Mitie employs 28 cleaners who work in the House, who are responsible for cleaning the communal areas, for refuse disposal, and for janitorial duties.
	Mitie currently has a contract with both Houses for cleaning services for around £2.2 million per year, of which the House of Lords share is 40 per cent. This contract runs for five years from 1 September 2003.

Palace of Westminster: Security

Lord Lucas: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	What ammunition has been issued to the armed policemen guarding the Palace of Westminster; and whether it provides sufficient stopping power.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: It is inappropriate for me to comment in detail on operational security matters. However, I am happy to reassure Members that the armed policemen guarding the Palace of Westminster are properly equipped to carry out their duties.

Pensions: Reciprocal Uprating Agreements

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	With which countries the United Kingdom has a reciprocal agreement to uprate pension payments; and
	With which countries over the past 20 years the United Kingdom has (a) made, and (b) ended reciprocal agreements to uprate pension payments; and
	What are the total amounts of United Kingdom pensions and the number of recipients currently being paid to residents of countries with which the United Kingdom (a) does, and (b) does not have reciprocal agreements to uprate pension payments; and
	What are the estimated costs of exporting frozen United Kingdom pensions paid to residents of countries which do not have reciprocal agreements with the United Kingdom to uprate pension payments; and
	What are the current annual total amounts of United Kingdom pensions being paid, and the number of recipients in (a) British Dependent Territories; (b) Australia; and (c) South Africa.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The UK currently has reciprocal agreements which provide for the uprating of state pension with the following countries: Barbados; Bermuda; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Croatia; Isle of Man; Israel; Jamaica; Jersey and Guernsey; Mauritius; Philippines; State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; Turkey; USA and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Although they have generally been superseded by EC Social Security Regulations which provide for uprating of state pensions for European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals moving between the UK and other member countries, the UK also has reciprocal agreements which provide for uprating of state pensions with the following countries: Austria; Belgium; Cyprus; Finland; France; Germany; Gibraltar; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; Malta; the Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden and Switzerland.
	Over the past 20 years the UK has entered into reciprocal agreements providing for the uprating of state pensions with the following countries: Barbados (1992); Iceland (1985); Norway (1991); Philippines (1989) and Sweden (1988). The agreements with Iceland, Norway and Sweden have since been superseded by the EC Social Security Regulations. No agreements providing for the uprating of state pensions have been terminated.
	At 31 September 2004 around 990,000 state pension recipients were living overseas of whom around 470,000 were residing in the EEA or in a country with which UK has a reciprocal agreement covering the uprating of pensions and around 520,000 were residing elsewhere including around 240,000 in Australia and 38,000 in South Africa.
	In 2004–05 the UK spent an estimated £1.9 billion on state pensions paid overseas, of this around £1.1 billion went to people residing in the EEA or in a country with which UK has a reciprocal agreement covering the uprating of pensions and around £800 million went to people residing elsewhere including £358 million to people in Australia and £66 million to people in South Africa. It is estimated that the cost of "unfreezing" pensions paid to people residing outside the EEA and countries with which the UK has a reciprocal agreement is (without backdating) around £400 million per annum increasing over time.
	At 31 September 2004 around 2,000 state pension recipients were residing in the British Overseas Territories which comprise: Anguilla; British Antarctic Territory; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; St Helena and dependencies (Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha); Turk and Caicos Islands; Pitcairn Island; South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands; and the sovereign base areas on Cyprus. State pensions paid to recipients living in Bermuda; Gibraltar and the sovereign base areas on Cyprus are subject to uprating.
	In 2004–05 the UK spent an estimated £5.5 million on state pensions paid to people residing in the British Overseas Territories.

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004: Section 115

Baroness Wilkins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made in (a) establishing mechanisms for funding access groups in England and Wales; and (b) identifying suitable disability organisations to administer this funding under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Baroness Andrews: Section 115 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 provides the legal mechanism for funding access groups in England and Wales. In accepting an amendment with this effect in March 2004, the noble Lord Rooker made it clear that the Government had not set aside funds for assisting such groups. There has been no change to this position.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Estate Review

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which police stations in each county in Northern Ireland are scheduled for closure; what has been the extent of consultation with (a) the police board, and (b) the relevant district policing partnership; and how alternative policing arrangements for each sub-district affected by closure have been communicated to the public.

Lord Rooker: The estate strategy, endorsed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Officers and the Northern Ireland Policing Board, lists 61 stations to be reviewed over the next five year period.
	On 30 June 2005, the policing board approved the closure of the following stations:
	Ardglass, Castlewellan, Moy, Ballygawley, Caledon, Castlerock, Moneymore, Dromore (County Tyrone) and Plumbridge.
	The policing board agreed to review the following stations in September 2005:
	Ballinamallard, Derrygonnelly, Irvinestown, Kinawley, Rosslea, Lisbellaw, Newtownbutler and Tempo.
	The nine stations approved for closure are:
	Down: Ardglass and Castlewellan
	Londonderry: Castlerock
	Tyrone: Dromore, Plumbridge, Ballygawley, Caledon, Moy and Moneymore
	Each district commander is required to conduct the review of his/her station(s) within the terms of the estate review. When closure recommendations are made, local commanders embark on a process of consultation with local communities on both the proposals and on the best way to continue to deliver services locally.
	Consultation is by way of public debate formal presentation public meeting private briefings publicity or a combination of these. The alternative strategies for delivery of policing are outlined at this stage, for example, mobile police stations motor cycles community police teams identified local beat officers.
	DCU commanders conduct a full consultation with their local district policing partnership in every case. In many cases the agreed way for providing police services for the future is formally agreed with the DPP.
	On completion of this process, a DCU commander makes a recommendation to the chief constable regarding the future of a particular station and a business case is submitted to the Northern Ireland Policing Board for consideration and endorsement. The chief constable then engages in a formal consultation process with the policing board and this process of consultation is currently ongoing.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Good Employer Responsibilities

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the Police Service of Northern Ireland's "good employer responsibilities" in respect of officers being investigated by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland; and whether there is a senior officer at command level with specific responsibility for this matter.

Lord Rooker: Any officer subject to an investigation by the Police Ombudsman is given written notice of such.
	Direct line supervisors and managers have a responsibility to provide appropriate professional support to such individuals, particularly with a focus upon welfare needs. All officers may avail of the services of Police Service of Northern Ireland's occupational health and welfare branch should this be required. In addition, individuals may seek the support of their respective staff association.
	The senior command team as a whole place great importance upon the provision of appropriate support to individual officers. The management of welfare needs and professional support is rightly devolved to district command units and departments, and each manager has responsibility in this regard.

Primary Care Trusts: Financial Status

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which primary care trusts in England ran a deficit on their current account for the financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05, listed by size of deficit.

Lord Warner: The latest year for which audited data on the financial position of National Health Service organisations is available is 2003–04. The primary care trusts (PCTs) reporting a deficit in their 2003–04 final accounts is set out in the following table, listed by size of deficit.
	The Department of Health does not publish unaudited information. Audited information in respect of the 2004–05 financial position of all strategic health authorities, PCTs and NHS trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts, and will be available centrally in autumn 2005.
	
		
			 PCT Name 2003–04 (Overspend) £000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT (8,504) 
			 Ipswich PCT (5,598) 
			 Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley   PCT (5,592) 
			 North Devon PCT (5,381) 
			 Northumberland Care PCT (4,424) 
			 Suffolk West PCT (4,423) 
			 Central Cornwall PCT (4,390) 
			 Bexley Care Trust (4,296) 
			 Chelmsford PCT (3,997) 
			 Eastbourne Downs PCT (3,533) 
			 Suffolk Coastal PCT (3,480) 
			 West of Cornwall PCT (3,416) 
			 North and East Cornwall PCT (3,353) 
			 Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT (3,008) 
			 Cambridge City PCT (2,881) 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT (2,821) 
			 Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT (2,067) 
			 Central Suffolk PCT (1,831) 
			 Southern Norfolk PCT (1,690) 
			 North Norfolk PCT (1,662) 
			 Broadland PCT (1,506) 
			 North Somerset PCT (1,452) 
			 New Forest PCT (1,326) 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT (1,199) 
			 South Wiltshire PCT (1,102) 
			 South Huddersfield PCT (1,098) 
			 Cherwell Vale PCT (852) 
			 North Tyneside PCT (816) 
			 Hillingdon PCT (672) 
			 Harrow PCT (667) 
			 Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT (658) 
			 North Hampshire PCT (548) 
			 Waveney PCT (474) 
			 Milton Keynes PCT (388) 
			 South and East Dorset PCT (386) 
			 Hounslow PCT (372) 
			 North East Oxfordshire PCT (258) 
			 East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT (241) 
			 West Norfolk PCT (239) 
			 West Gloucestershire PCT (159) 
			 South Leicestershire PCT (100) 
		
	
	Source:
	Final Accounts 2003–04 as at 2 November 2004
	Note:
	1. All figures have been rounded to the nearest £1,000

Schools: Admissions Policies

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider the admissions policy of grammar schools to be fair; and
	What they have done since 1997 to ensure that there are fair admission arrangements for children of all abilities and circumstances to primary and secondary schools.

Lord Adonis: We have made substantial progress in the eight years since 1997 in achieving an equitable system of admissions across both the primary and secondary sectors.
	We do not support selective education. However, where selection exists, we believe it is for local parents to decide whether or not it is removed; and the grammar school ballot process allows parents to decide if selection should be removed.
	We have also legislated in order to simplify the admissions process and to make the system fairer for parents and children. This includes:
	issuing codes of practice for admissions and admission appeals. These give clear guidance on acceptable practices to admission authorities and to schools;
	giving local authorities and other schools the right to object to any admission arrangements and parents the right to object to some admission arrangements, including some forms of selection in place before 1997; and
	introducing co-ordinated admissions to secondary schools (for 2005) and to primary schools (for 2006). This system has had a significant impact in improving parents' chances of obtaining a preferred school, as parents can no longer hold more than one offer of a school place within their area.
	However, the key to a fair system does not rest with admission arrangements alone but in driving up standards across the broad range of schools so that all parents have access to good quality education. Nationally, the Government have implemented a range of improvement programmes, including literacy and numeracy strategies, creating academies and developing specialist schools, all of which contribute to raising standards across a broad range of schools. We also have a programme of providing capital funding for those good and popular schools who wish to expand to do so, thereby providing more places for children at good schools.

Schools: Free Meals

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the percentage of year 11 pupils in 2004 who were eligible for free school meals in (a) secondary schools; (b) comprehensive schools; and (c) grammar schools.

Lord Adonis: The information requested is shown in the table.
	Maintained Secondary Schools: Number of Year Eleven Pupils Eligible for Free School Meals
	
		January 2004 -- England
		
			  Grammar schools Comprehensive schools Other secondary schools 1 Total Secondary schools 
			 Number on roll 2  22,206 530,288 23,038 575,532 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 492 74,633 2,615 77,740 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 2.2 14.1 11.4 13.5 
		
	
	1 Includes middle deemed, modem, technical and other secondary schools.
	2 Includes dually registered and boarding pupils

Timescale: Statutory Definition

Lord Tanlaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the statutory definition of the timescale on legal and financial documents; and in what respect it differs from the civil and international timescale, Co-ordinated Universal Time, as transmitted over the Internet as Network Time Protocol.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The main interpretative reference to a timescale is in the Interpretation Act 1978. This provides that (subject to the provisions of the Summer Time Act 1972) whenever an expression of time occurs in an Act, or in subordinate legislation, or deeds or other instruments and documents, the time referred to shall, unless it is otherwise specifically stated, be held to be Greenwich mean time. This is the default position and it is also possible to make specific reference to a timescale. Some regulations, for example, make specific reference to GMT and in others reference is made to co-ordinated universal time.
	The authors of legal and financial documents may specify GMT, co-ordinated universal time or any other timescale.
	Greenwich mean time (GMT) is an astronomical timescale derived from measurements of the rotation of the earth. Co-ordinated universal time (UTC) is an atomic timescale, derived from measurement of the frequency of a particular microwave radiation emitted by caesium atoms. The two timescales are kept in a close relationship by the occasional insertion of leap seconds in UTC, such that the difference between the two timescales never exceeds 0.9 seconds.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the salary scale of the chief executive of Waterways Ireland; and what are the pay scales of the directors of that organisation.

Lord Rooker: The following table shows the salary scales of the chief executive and directors of Waterways Ireland as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 *Chief Executive 70,725–83,025 
			 Director of Operations 62,314–71,298 
			 Director of Personnel and Finance 46,805–57,726 
			 Director of Technical Services 46,805–57,726 
			 Director of Marketing and Communications 43,491–53,796 
			 **Director of Corporate Services 46,805–57,726 
		
	
	*Scale under review
	**Vacant post

Zimbabwe: Asylum Seekers

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What instructions have been given to immigration officers regarding the forcible return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We consider each case on its merits and it is part of our normal process to consider any new information or representations prior to removal of anyone from the United Kingdom. Given the general nature of the representations surrounding the return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe we ensure that every case involving a failed asylum seeker from Zimbabwe is looked at before removal in the light of current information, not just those who are the subject of representations.